Modern vehicles typically have a plurality of different functions, some of which go far beyond simply controlling the vehicle. Accordingly, vehicles are being developed with the objective to allow particularly the driver of a vehicle to actuate and monitor all provided vehicle functions in the simplest manner possible. To do so, the individual vehicle functions are generally made accessible to the driver via one or more human-machine interfaces.
Thus, every human-machine interface allows a mostly bidirectional interaction of the driver or other occupants of the vehicle with the vehicle, and in its simplest form, it may comprise for example a lever, a rotating knob, a toggle switch, a push button or a pedal as well as an analog or digital display, an indicator light or a warning light.
Increasingly, vehicles are being equipped with so-called driver-assistance systems, which assist and/or take a load off the driver in controlling a vehicle and thereby decrease the risk of an accident for the vehicle or increase the safety of the vehicle occupants. For example to assist the driver when parking the vehicle, parking assistance systems are available, which include simple distance sensors with a warning function, reverse area cameras with a conveniently observable monitor, or fully automatic parking assistants, which can automatically reverse and park a vehicle without the intervention of the driver.
Other examples of advanced driver assistance systems are represented by so-called brake assistants, which monitor the space in front of a moving vehicle and automatically brake the vehicle when the distance of the vehicle to a vehicle ahead, other road users, such as cyclists or pedestrians, or some other obstacle decreases below a certain value depending on the speed of the vehicle.
Many vehicle traffic accidents are attributed to the inattentiveness of the respective drivers. A driver's inattentiveness may be the result of a distraction, a lack of concentration, fatigue or momentarily nodding off. A driver assistance system for detecting inattentiveness of the driver requires a corresponding highly specialized human-machine interface.
For example, DE 10 2015 011 522 A1 discloses a driver assistance device for a vehicle, which comprises an image acquisition device having a camera integrated in the steering wheel of the vehicle. The camera is essentially oriented toward the head of the driver to detect parameters relevant to driver inattentiveness or fatigue, such as an eye blink, an eyelid closing, a viewing angle, a head tilt and/or head motion of the driver. Upon detecting inattentiveness or fatigue of the driver, a corresponding warning can be triggered.
From US 2011/0235919 A1 a similar device is known, which comprises a camera for detecting open/closed eyes and a control unit, and which can be used in a vehicle to determine the momentary nodding off of the driver. Besides analyzing the degree of openness of the eyes, the device also analyzes the entire facial expression of the driver so as to avoid incorrectly detecting the state of momentary nodding off when the driver has facial expressions, which have closed or almost closed eyes while in an awake state.
In comparison, driver assistance systems are also known, which are primarily intended to make actuation of vehicle functions per se more uniform and intuitive, as well as to permit actuation by at least some additional vehicle occupants besides the driver. For example, convenient operation of an entertainment system, such as a radio or music system installed in the vehicle, could be made possible for the other vehicle occupants by means of a corresponding assistance system. Such vehicle assistance systems naturally require correspondingly complex human-machine interface designs.
DE 10 2014 218 457 A1 discloses a transportable memory device with a processor for connecting to a data interface of a sensor of a driver assistance system of a vehicle. The storage unit can be connected to various sensors of the driver assistance system and comprises, for the purpose of interacting with vehicle occupants, a human-machine interface, which has a camera for visually monitoring a vehicle interior, a light source for illuminating the vehicle interior or for emitting light signals, a microphone for acoustically monitoring the vehicle interior, a loudspeaker for emitting acoustic signals and/or a radar sensor for detecting vehicle occupants in the vehicle interior in times of darkness. The camera enables one to detect the gestures or facial expressions of a specific vehicle occupant to determine a vehicle function to be actuated. To do so, gesture- or facial expression-detection must be activated by the specific vehicle occupant via a voice command. If the transportable memory device is integrated in the key of a vehicle, it can also be provided that starting the vehicle is first allowed after successful authentication of the driver by means of voice recognition and/or facial recognition.
However, it has not been possible to date for various vehicle occupants, i.e., the driver and at least the front passenger or another passenger, to interact simultaneously or in a time-overlapping manner with the vehicle via a shared human-machine interface.
Therefore, the object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle having an improved human-machine interface, which avoids the described disadvantages and allows for a simultaneous or time-overlapping interaction of various vehicle occupants with the vehicle. In addition, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a method for the simultaneous or time-overlapping actuation of vehicle functions by various vehicle occupants.